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Monday, March 15, 2010

Yesterday evening, E1 Entertainment hosted the Toronto premiere of the Sundance Film Festival hit The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon. Stewart plays Joan Jett, who later went on to success with her supporting band The Blackhearts. Dakota Fanning plays The Runaways lead singer Cherie Currie, and Michael Shannon has a terrific turn as the group's manager Kim Fowley.

The premiere took place at the Isabel Bader Theatre in the campus of the University of Toronto. E1 Entertainment co-president presented the film's writer and director Floria Sigismondi who then came onstage and gave a brief introduction to the film. The film was warmly received. Also in attendance was her family, including her parents and actress Antonella Sigismondi, who has a role in the film using her stage name, Julia Mondi.

I'll have more to say about the film itself later this week, as well as an interview with Floria Sigismondi.

The Sigismondi family immigrated to Canada in the late 60s from Italy, when Floria was aged 2. She studied at the Ontario College of Art, today's Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), before becoming a successful music video director. She has made videos for Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, The Cure, Christina Aguilera, the White Stripes, Sarah McLachlan and Leonard Cohen, among others. The Runaways is her debut feature film.

After the screening, there was an after party for attendees at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, on King Street West at Dufferin. In addition to Floria and her family, other attendees included film critic Richard Crouse, film producers Martin Katz (Hotel Rwanda) and David Miller (Amal) and filmmaker Ryan Singh. Documentarian Nik Sheehan whose film FLicKeR included Floria spent some time catching up with her.

The Runaways will have its theatrical relase later this week on Friday.